I'll See Her When I Wake
by Gleeks09
Summary: AU: Shelby shares custody with the Berrys and has always been in Rachel's life. Rachel is 12 and has been causing a lot of trouble recently. Lines are drawn when Shelby meets with her principal when Rachel skips class. Will Rachel make it out alive? AU.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N – Here is another little Rachel story. This takes place within the same world where Shelby shares custody with Hiram and Leroy and has always been a part of Rachel's life. Please let me know what you think at the end. Thanks, guys!**

**Disclaimer – I don't own Glee. **

Shelby pulled into to Lima Middle School parking lot and found a spot in the line of visitor's spaces. She killed the engine and gathered her thoughts before having to go in and collect her twelve-year-old from the principal's office. She didn't know what had come over the girl, but her daughter had been testing her parents for close to two weeks. Everything was an issue or an argument and getting caught skipping her final class of the day that Friday afternoon was the last straw. The girl was spending the weekend with her and Shelby was going to lay down the law.

Rachel was sitting in a chair in the main office when she heard the familiar sound of her mother's heels and looked up at her when she came through the door. Her face stayed impassive and she seemed to dismiss her mother's glare when she looked away and back down at her book like she had better things to do. Rachel would have been lying if she said she wasn't intimidated by her angry mother, but she was doing her best not to let it show.

Shelby started to make her way over to her daughter, but was stopped when the principal came out to greet her.

"Ms. Corcoran, hi. Can I talk to you for a moment?" Principal Garret asked.

"Of course," Shelby answered and she followed the red-haired woman back to her office and sat down.

"Ms. Corcoran, I was surprised to see Rachel in here today," Mrs. Garret said.

"Me too," Shelby agreed.

"I know Rachel can be a little high strung and willful, and a bit stubborn, I must say, but she's normally quite well behaved," the principal said. "She acted like she didn't even care that she'd been caught and brought to me. One of our gym teachers, Mr. Hunt, spotted her sitting under the bleachers out on the field when she should have been in her math class."

"I don't know what's come over her," Shelby said, "but I promise that it won't happen again. I will take care of it."

"I know you will," Principal Garret said. "And I've assigned her a Saturday detention for tomorrow." She handed Shelby a piece of paper that spelled out Rachel's misdeeds and punishment.

"Good," Shelby said. "She'll be here."

"I just don't want to see her think she can get away with things like this."

"Oh, she most definitely will not get away with it," Shelby assured the woman.

"That's good because I'd hate to see her detentions this week turn into some sort of habit," Mrs. Garret said.

"Detentions?" Shelby asked.

"Yes, the detention she served on Wednesday and now her Saturday detention tomorrow. You didn't know about her detention on Wednesday, did you?" the principal asked.

"No," Shelby said.

"Ah, I see. So the note you signed and she returned was not actually signed by you?"

"No," Shelby shook her head. She turned around and glared at her daughter through the glass. That girl was going to get it! "What was it for?" she asked when she looked back.

"Talking back in class," Mrs. Garret answered. "Mr. McClain said she was very disrespectful."

"I'm so sorry," Shelby said. "I'll write a note to Mr. McClain and deliver it on Monday."

"He likes Rachel very much and we have shared our disbelief at her actions this week," Mrs. Garret said.

"Please pass on to him that it won't happen again," Shelby said.

"I will. Thank you for coming in," Mrs. Garret said. "I wouldn't normally have called a parent to come and pick up their child for skipping, but it was the end of the day and I wanted the chance to talk with you or her fathers. This isn't like her and I wanted to address why she's acting this way before it goes any farther."

"Thank you, Mrs. Garret," Shelby said. "And don't worry; I will get to the bottom of why she's been acting out."

The two women walked back out to where Rachel was sitting and Shelby motioned for the girl to get up. Rachel returned her book to her bag and slung it over her shoulders as she got to her feet. She wouldn't look at either woman as she moved closer to her mother... but not too close.

"Rachel, I hope this is the last time I see you in here for disciplinary problems," Mrs. Garret said. "You are too bright of a student to be getting in trouble like this."

Rachel only nodded until she felt Shelby nudge her. "Yes, ma'am."

Shelby sent the principal an apologetic look and then ushered Rachel out of the office. The angry clip of Shelby's heels could be heard up and down the hallway as the pair made their way out of the building, Rachel following behind. When they reached the car Rachel opened her book bag and pulled out her iPod before tossing the bag in the back seat and getting in the front.

"I don't think so," Shelby said when Rachel started to put the headphones in her ears.

Shelby took the iPod and wrapped the headphones around the device and then put it in her purse. Rachel sighed and put her head back against the seat.

"I would drop the attitude right now if I were you," Shelby told her. "You are in a lot of trouble."

Rachel didn't acknowledge her and instead turned her head so she could look out the window. She'd never expected any of it to go on this far or this long. Last week she'd wanted to go to a concert in Columbus, but she'd been told no because it was on a school night. There would be other concerts, they had told her. That didn't matter to Rachel because this was the one that she wanted to go to and they knew that. What was missing one lousy day of school going to do? Other kids missed school and didn't care about perfect attendance. Other kids got to do the things they wanted or goof off in school or not turn in homework. Why did she have to be the one that was perfect all the time?

Rachel had cried and pouted and thrown a fit all before stomping out of the room and making sure all of her parents knew that they were ruining her life. The three adults left her alone that night and let her be angry because they knew what it was like to miss out on something they really wanted. Rachel had been fine for a couple of days and they thought she was over it, but her anger was just dormant because that weekend she'd picked a fight and every turn and had been free with giving attitude to all of those around her. Rachel had spent days after the concert reading articles and forums on the internet that gushed over how amazing the whole thing had been and she just couldn't believe that she had missed it. Stupid school and her stupid parents for not taking her! And now Shelby knew that that attitude had manifested itself in school as well.

Shelby pulled the car onto the road and started to drive to her house. Logically Rachel realized that now was the time to let go of her anger. Her mother wasn't going to accept the answer of nothing was wrong, but Rachel also knew that her parents weren't going to like that all of this trouble was due to the fact that she was sulking over a missed concert . 'Rachel, you will not always get your way in life and your behavior because of that unacceptable,' she could already hear Hiram saying. But her biggest worry right now was her mother and what was going to happen when they got home. Rachel had a sinking feeling that she knew what was in store for her. She knot in her stomach was already there and she needed to think of any way possible to talk her way out of it. Rachel hadn't really thought this far ahead when she'd decided she didn't want to sit through her math class today.

"I don't know what has come over you, but it is going to stop right now," Shelby started to lecture. "You have been talking back and arguing over everything for over a week now. And then I have to find out from your principal that you received detention earlier this week and you didn't bother to mention it to anyone. Instead, you just forged my name to the note that was sent home and lied to your teacher and to us."

Rachel's eyes went wide because she didn't know that Mrs. Garr**e**t had also told her mother about the previous detention. This was not going to be good.

"I don't know where you ever got it in your head that it was ok to forge one of our signatures," Shelby continued on. "So please tell me what you were thinking?"

Rachel didn't say anything. She knew that signing the detention form had been wrong, but at the time she didn't think anyone was going to find out.

Shelby stopped at a red light and turned to look at her daughter. Rachel had yet to meet her eyes since she'd picked her up and Shelby was getting angrier.

"And disrespecting your teacher and then skipping class," Shelby chided. "You know better than that."

Shelby was growing frustrated with Rachel's lack of responses and gave the girl who refused to look at her and instead looked out the window a hard stare.

"I am so disappointed in you, Rachel."

Rachel felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes and her brain was screaming at her to look at her mother and apologize. She knew it wouldn't get her out of trouble, but she needed her mom to know that her words were getting through to her and making an impact.

But her mouth refused to cooperate and when she finally spoke it was only to say, "The light is green."

Shelby let out an angry sigh and turned back to the road and pulled into the intersection. She heard the sound of it before she even realized what had happened. There was a crash and a car horn and she felt the jolt of it and had to work her way through the haze that had settled over her mind. Her head hurt, she knew. What had she banged it on? There were voices now. Someone was shouting. She didn't recognize it…

The few seconds of being dazed seemed to vanish in an instant and reality came crashing back to her. She hadn't even made it through the intersection. Her car had been hit. Shelby looked to her right and started to scream.

Rachel was unconscious with her head thrown back and off to the side. There was blood all over her head and face and her little body had been pushed towards the center console because the car had crumpled in. Rachel was covered in broken glass and she had multiple cuts. Shelby could see that her right arm seemed to be positioned wrong and the bone had broken through the skin. The incessant car horn that she was hearing belonged to the car she could see through Rachel's window. They'd been hit directly on the passenger side.

"Rachel," Shelby's screams turned to sobs. "Rachel, please."

Her hand was shaking as she reached over and gently pressed two fingers to Rachel's wrist on her left arm. She had to reposition her fingers a few times, and she grew more desperate each time she did so, but she finally found what she was looking for; a pulse. It wasn't very strong, Shelby knew, but it was there. Next she reached up and put a finger under Rachel's nose and felt the shallow exhales. Shelby pulled her hand away when she was satisfied that the girl was breathing. She had blood on her hand from Rachel's face and she started to reach out and touch her daughter's head, but pulled her hand back. A flash from a long ago first aid class cross her mind; don't move the victim.

Shelby's car door swung open and a young man in his early twenties appeared at her side.

"Lady, are you ok?"

"No. Yeah. My daughter," Shelby motioned to Rachel. "Please help her." Her voice didn't sound like her own.

"The ambulance is already on its way," he told her. "They'll be here any second."

"She's so little," Shelby said.

"Can you get out of the car?" He reached around and turned the key back in the ignition so that it wasn't running anymore.

"No, I can't leave her," Shelby said.

"You're going to have to get out of the car so the paramedics can help her," he said gently. "They're almost here."

"But-"

"My name is Rob. What's yours?"

"Shelby. My daughter is Rachel. Please help her."

"Shelby, she'll get help, I promise," Rob said. "But right now you've got to get out of the car so you can talk to the paramedics when they get here. They're going to need you to answer questions about her. You need to be ready to go to the hospital with her."

"Ok," Shelby nodded.

"Do you have a purse or anything?" Rob asked. "You'll probably need it."

"I put her iPod in it," Shelby said.

Her eyes were far away and Rob could tell that she was in shock. The sirens were close now. A police car was the first to pull up.

"I'll get it," Rob said. He opened the back door and found the woman's purse and then had her hold it as he helped her remove her seatbelt and stand up out of the car. They moved to the side of the road and watched as an ambulance arrived and then a second one after that. A paramedic ran over to Shelby and asked for the girl's name and if there were any allergies and took off again when she had her answers. Shelby watched helplessly as two medics got in the car from the driver's side, one in the front and one in the back, to start attending to Rachel. A new police car arrived and one of its officers came over and squatted down in front of Shelby.

"Ma'am, can you tell me what happened?"

"I don't know. I think I banged my head. There was a green light. Rachel said the light was green," Shelby said. "I was driving home. There was a crash. And the car horn. Why won't that stupid horn stop blasting?"

"Did you see what happened?" the officer asked of Rob.

"She definitely had the green light," Rob said. "We had the red light. I was on the opposite side of the street from the car that hit her. He ran right through the red light."

The man in question was getting out of his car with some gauze pressed to his head. Shelby could see the deflated airbag on his steering wheel and other than the cut, he looked fine. He was an older man, probably in his early sixties, and was talking to another police officer.

Shelby was on her feet in an instant and started walking towards the man.

"What were you thinking?" Shelby yelled at him. "Why weren't you paying attention? My daughter is in that car! She's so little."

"Ma'am, you need to calm down," the officer said as he followed after her.

"Shelby," Rob tried as well.

"Look at her," Shelby commanded, but her voice broke and she started to cry again when she turned to her car. "Look at her."

The man looked stunned as he glanced over at Shelby's car and saw the paramedics trying to stabilize Rachel to get her out. They had a neck brace on her and were working to get a backboard in the right position. A paramedic led the man towards one of the waiting ambulances and Shelby watched as he was taken off to the hospital before her daughter.

"Ma'am, are you hurt anywhere?" a medic asked.

"I'm fine," Shelby said.

"She said she hit her head," the police officer supplied helpfully.

"Can I see?"

"Why can't they get her out?" Shelby asked.

"They're doing everything they can," the medic assured her. "Where did you hit your head?"

Shelby put her hand to her head but backed away when the medic tried to look.

"Leave me alone," Shelby yelled. "I'm fine. Go and help my daughter."

Another paramedic came up to her and handed her an ice pack that she agreed to put on her head as long as they left her alone until Rachel was taken care of. It took some maneuvering, but they were finally able to get Rachel from the car and the backboard she was secured to was then put on a gurney and she was loaded into the back of the ambulance. Shelby said a quick thank you to Rob who told her to look after the little girl and then climbed into the front of the ambulance for the short ride to the hospital.

There were doctors waiting in the bay when the ambulance pulled up and they hurried Rachel inside with Shelby following after them. She crowded into the exam room and stood by anxiously and tried to soak up every piece of information that was flying through the room.

"Is she going to be ok?" Shelby asked. "Please."

"Ma'am, you need to wait outside."

"But I need to stay with her," Shelby said and her tears returned. "Please, she's my baby."

"I know," a doctor told her, "and the best thing you can do for her is to wait outside so that we can concentrate on helping her."

The doctor walked with Shelby to the waiting room and sat her down. He took the ice pack from her and she let him feel the knot on her head.

"Are you injured anywhere else?"

"No," Shelby answered.

"That's quite a knot you have there and I'd like to give you an MRI just to rule out anything," the doctor explained.

"Later," Shelby said. "Rachel first."

"Keep the ice on it for now and I'll check back on you in a little while," he told her. "And I'll let you know the moment we have some information on your daughter."

"Thank you," Shelby said sincerely.

"Is there anyone you can call to come and wait with you?"

"I have to call her dads," Shelby said.

"Ok," the doctor said. "I'll be back in a little while."

Shelby didn't watch him walk away because she was digging through her purse for her phone. She quickly called the number and then put it to her ear.

"Leroy…"

Leroy and Hiram came rushing into the emergency room twelve minutes later and scanned the room frantically before locating Shelby and moving towards her. Shelby was crying and shaking her head and Leroy pulled her into arms and held her tightly against his chest. Hiram had to wipe away tears of his own and Leroy was doing his best to remain strong.

"She- He hit her," Shelby choked out. "He ran the red light. She said the light is green."

Leroy sat Shelby down and Hiram found a chair and grabbed it so he could sit in front of the row of chairs they were occupying.

"Have they told you anything yet?" Hiram asked. "About her condition?"

"No," Shelby said. "You should have seen her. There was so much blood and she's so tiny." Shelby started to cry again and Leroy rubbed her back to soothe her.

"What happened?" Leroy asked.

"I picked her up from school," Shelby said.

"Right because Mrs. Garret called," Leroy said. Shelby had called them when she'd received the call from the school. They'd been waiting to hear from her on how it went.

"Rachel skipped class," Shelby said. "And I was so angry. God, why was I so mad?"

"It's ok," Hiram said. "It was ok to be mad at her."

"No," Shelby shook her head.

"Then what happened?" Leroy coaxed.

"We stopped at a red light," Shelby said. "And Rachel told me when it was green. It was the only thing she said. Then," her lip started to tremble and fresh tears rolled down her cheeks, "there was a crash and that stupid car horn. And Rachel didn't move. She looked like she was crooked in the seat and there was so much glass and she had blood all over her. Her bone in her arm was showing."

Neither Leroy nor Hiram could keep their own tears in check as Shelby described the condition of their daughter.

"She looked so little," Shelby continued. "I felt for a pulse and she never stopped breathing. I wanted to badly to hold her, but I was too afraid to really touch her. I didn't want to move her. Her neck or her spine; oh god, anything could be wrong. What if she doesn't make-"

"Stop it," Hiram said. "Just stop it. Do not say that. You will not say that. I am prepared to deal with anything that may be wrong with her, but she will be fine. She is fine." He put his head in his hands and wept.

Out of instinct, Shelby reached for her purse and reached into to find them all some tissues. She'd started carrying tissues in her purse at all times when Rachel was a baby and it was a habit she never let go. What she pulled out wasn't tissues, but Rachel's iPod instead and the men looked at her questioningly to see why she would have it. It was normally glued to Rachel's hand.

"I took it from her," Shelby explained. "She tried to listen to her music when she got in the car, but I took it from her. She should have been listening to her music. The last thing she heard…"

Shelby replayed the scene and she shook her head at the memory of it. "The last thing I said to her was, 'I am so disappointed in you, Rachel.' Oh no," Shelby cried. "Oh no."

Leroy took the iPod and her purse and put them off to the side and pulled Shelby so that she was leaning into him. He rocked her gently while Hiram held her hand. They all now understood what hell on earth felt like.

An agonizing hour and three minutes passed before the same doctor who had removed Shelby from the room earlier appeared in front of them. Shelby made hasty introduction and the doctor didn't dwell on the sight of two fathers.

"I'm Dr. Reynolds. If you would, come with me please."

He led them away from the general waiting area and into a private family waiting room and turned to face the three worried and weary faces before him.

"Please, have a seat…"

**A/N – Review please! I promise they'll be a second part soon. **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N – Thank you so much for all of the reviews and comments about this story. I wanted to do a more dramatic one. And here's the final part.**

**Sorry it was delayed. I had an amazing time this past weekend up in Buffalo, NY seeing Idina Menzel in concert and meeting her afterwards. She's so fantastic. And then I went to Niagara Falls and visited Canada for a few hours before coming home. So it's been a busy time of working and playing catch up all week. But it was totally worth it.**

**I meant to ask in the first chapter and forgot… but does anyone know where the line "I'll see her when I wake" comes from? Give yourself 27 points if you know it. I'll tell you in the author's note at the end.**

**Disclaimer – I don't own Glee.**

Shelby let out a shaky breath as she sat down in a chair at the table in the private room Dr. Reynolds had taken them to. Leroy sat down next to her and Hiram chose to remain standing. Dr. Reynolds sat down opposite them and Leroy felt like he was taking forever to tell them what was going on.

"Please, doctor," Leroy said, "just tell us. Is she ok?"

"I'll be honest with you," Dr. Reynolds replied, "your daughter is one lucky little girl."

All three parents sat in stunned silence for a moment because each of them had tried to prepare themselves to hear the worst and hearing that Rachel was lucky wasn't what they expected.

"Lucky?" Hiram questioned.

"Yes," Dr. Reynolds confirmed. "She is injured, that's for sure, but it's minor compared to what it could have been. She has stitches from a cut in her head and she does have a concussion. Her arm is broken pretty severely and she will require surgery."

"Surgery?" Shelby asked.

"We're going to put a small pin in her arm to help the bones heal in the proper position. Even with that, her arm will have to be in a cast for six to eight weeks," Dr. Reynolds explained. "The good news is that her arm is the worst of her injuries. Her neck and spine are fine and we found no internal bleeding or cracked ribs. She never stopped breathing and her heart never stopped. She will make a full recovery."

"Thank God," Leroy said.

Tears formed in all of their eyes as they finally let themselves feel a little bit of relief. Leroy held Shelby's hand and reached back to also hold the hand that Hiram was resting on his shoulder.

"She will be very sore and bruised though," Dr. Reynolds warned. "Her face is already bruising, as are her torso and abdomen from the seatbelt. She was banged around quite a bit and she will look it. And feel it."

"Can we see her?" Shelby asked.

"Not now. She's already been prepped for surgery," the doctor answered. "You can see her afterwards. Don't worry too much; it seems like we've got a willful little girl on our hands and she'll fight us until she's better if she has to. If her mother is any indication," he added.

Leroy and Hiram let out a tension filled laugh and even Shelby cracked a small smile.

"Which, by the way Ms. Corcoran, I think it's time you got checked out too."

"Are you hurt?" Leroy asked, his voice full of concern.

"No, I – It's a bump."

"The paramedics told us she hit her head and they gave her an icepack which I see she has lost," Dr. Reynolds said.

"It's in the waiting room," Shelby said.

"I think she should have an MRI and let someone check her out. Shock and adrenaline can mask an injury for a time," the doctor told them.

"I agree," Hiram said.

"Me too," Leroy added.

"No, not until after Rachel-"

"Rachel is being taken care of right now," Dr. Reynolds said. "You won't be able to see her until after the surgery and she won't be awake for a while after that. And I can pretty much guarantee that I'm not going to get you to leave her to get yourself checked out once you can see her. If you get checked out now you'll be finished before Rachel is even out of surgery."

"Why will it take a while for her to wake up?" Shelby asked. That was the most important thing she'd just heard. "Is she in some type of coma?"

"No," Dr. Reynolds answered quickly so he could alleviate some of the new fears the three parents all now had in their eyes. "But she did take quite a blow to the head. That, combined with the pain medication we've given her and the anesthetic for the surgery, will take a while to wear off. The surgery will take a couple of hours and it'll be several hours after that until we expect her to wake up. You have time," he told Shelby.

"Ok," Shelby relented.

Dr. Reynolds gave Hiram a paper for him to sign to authorize Rachel's care and then took Shelby with him. Hiram and Leroy were directed to a surgical waiting room so they didn't have to return to the emergency room.

Shelby met them there an hour and a half later declaring herself fine, just like she had told everyone before. Her MRI had come back negative, but she was still given a prescription for some painkillers because they promised her she would be sore for a few days. Leroy had made some calls to inform Shelby and Rachel's schools of the situation, as well as calling various family members and friends. Shelby took the cup of coffee Hiram held out to her and settled in for the long wait.

Dr. Reynolds approached them two hours later and they all stood up to hear what he had to say.

"Everything went well and Rachel is out of surgery now. She spent some time in recovery and is now in her own room. I can take you to her."

"Yes, please," Hiram said.

The doctor led them down the hallway to the elevators and the ride felt like it took forever to get them to the pediatric wing on the seventh floor. Leroy reached for the handle to Rachel's door, but Dr. Reynolds stopped them before they could go in.

"We're going to keep her here at least a day and maybe two to monitor how her arm does and because of her concussion. Please feel free to bring in any little things from home that would me her comfortable like her own pajamas or a stuffed animal or whatever. I'll be back to check on her before my shift ends."

"Thank you so much," Leroy said.

He and Hiram shook the doctor's hand while Shelby edged her way into the room. The men followed and they all took a moment to look their daughter over.

Rachel looked even smaller than she normally did lying in the large hospital bed and Shelby stepped up and put her hand on the blankets that covered her daughter's foot and squeezed it gently. The guard rails were up on the sides of the bed per the regulations in the pediatric ward and that's where Shelby's other hand rested. Rachel had a bandage on her forehead and there was bruising prevalent on her face. She had oxygen tubes in her nose and an IV in her left hand. There were wires that snaked under the hospital gown and monitored her heartbeat, the beeps of which were the only noise in the room. Rachel's right arm was bent at the elbow and a cast went from the middle of her hand up to just below her shoulder and the arm was resting on a pillow that was laid across her middle. She would require a sling when they left. There were scrapes on her left arm, and Shelby suspected, her legs as well. She had a few Band-Aids scattered and there was dried blood around her ears and at her hairline.

"Hi, Peanut," Hiram said. He moved to her right side and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "We're all here with you. You just lay there and get some rest and start getting better. That's your only job right now."

"Listen to your dad, Rach," Leroy said. He kissed her head as well. "Don't worry about anything because you're going to be just fine."

Shelby moved to Rachel's left and kissed her head. "I love you, Rachel." Shelby took her hand and gently rubbed the back of it as best she could without disturbing the IV. "I love you more than anything in the world.

Rachel made no movements, of course, except for the steady rise and fall of her chest. Shelby pulled up a chair next to the bed and Leroy and Hiram followed suit. They talked to and about Rachel as the hours drifted past. Shelby sang to her and Leroy talked about a movie that was coming out that he thought she'd like. Leroy went to the cafeteria and brought them dinner back to the room thought they all just mostly picked at their food. Hiram left at eight and went home to get Rachel pajamas and fresh clothes as well as her favorite stuffed animal, an old bunny that she had always carried around by the ear. He also stopped at Shelby's house and grabbed her some comfortable clothes so she could get out of the blouse, skirt, and heels she'd worn to work that morning. His hands were full when he walked back into the room because he also picked up two large bouquets of flowers for her.

Rachel could feel the pounding in her head before she ever opened her eyes. She didn't remember going to sleep and why did she feel this way? When she did open her eyes, she winced and blinked a couple of times into the semi-darkness and then stared at the unfamiliar ceiling. She adjusted her head so she could look down and the throbbing intensified. A small whimper escaped her lips and the beeping on her heart monitor started going faster as she tried to figure out what was going on. She moved to bring her hand to her head but found that she couldn't get her right arm to cooperate. Her fear started to grow and she looked around wildly with her eyes. She finally spotted her mother who had her head resting on her arm at the end of the bed. Rachel realized that she could feel the woman's hand resting against her leg.

"Mom," it came out as a whisper because her throat and mouth were so dry. "Mom. Mommy?" She was really scared and tears formed in her eyes.

Shelby lifted her head and groaned at the soreness in her neck, head and back. She realized she'd been asleep for about an hour when glanced at the clock on the wall and saw that it was after three in the morning. Hiram and Leroy weren't in the room and Shelby's figure out what noise had woken her up. Her mind was still hazy with sleep and worry and exhaustion.

"Mommy," Rachel said again when she saw Shelby moving.

Shelby finally took in the sounds and snapped her head around to look at Rachel and saw that she was awake. She heard the quick pace of the beeping from the heart monitor and realized that the girl was panicking.

"Honey," Shelby said as she quickly got to her feet and moved to the head of the bed. She took Rachel's left hand in her own and leaned over the girl's face so Rachel could see her clearly. She moved some of Rachel's hair back from her face and smiled for her daughter.

"I'm here. I'm right here," Shelby said. "Calm down, ok."

"Where?"

"You're in the hospital," Shelby told her gently. "We were in an accident. You were hurt, but you're going to be just fine."

"My arm. It doesn't work," Rachel started to cry. The tears dripped down the side of her face towards her ears and Shelby wiped a couple.

"Shhh, yes it does," Shelby tried to comfort her. "Calm down. You broke your arm and there's a cast on it. They had to do surgery, but it's going to be fine."

Shelby touched Rachel's fingers up to the cast and looked back at Rachel who was still crying.

"Calm down. Feel my hand?"

Rachel concentrated for a second and then nodded a bit. She found she was able to move those fingers and interlaced them as best she could with her mother's.

"Are you ok?" Rachel asked.

"I just bumped my head," Shelby said. "I'm fine."

"Dad and Daddy?"

"They weren't in the car with us. They're here at the hospital; they must have just stepped out."

"I can't remember what happened," Rachel said.

"That's ok," Shelby assured her. She leaned down and kissed Rachel's head. "That's ok."

"It hurts," Rachel said as she started to get worked up again.

"I know, baby," Shelby said. She reached for the call button attached to the bed and pushed the button to contact a nurse.

"Can I have a drink?" Rachel asked after a moment. "I'm so thirsty."

"I don't know," Shelby answered her. "Let me ask the doctor."

"Can I help you?" a voice came from the speaker on the bed.

Shelby pressed the button and responded to the nurse who was answering her call, "Rachel's awake."

"Someone will be right down."

Rachel took a few seconds to try and gather her thoughts while her mom talked to the nurse. She had never been in the hospital for anything major before and all of the smells and sounds were new to her. The haze was wearing off and the pain was becoming more and more acute and she felt so tired. That's when it occurred to her what Shelby was saying to the nurse. How long had they been waiting for her to wake up?

"Mommy?"

"Yes, love?" Shelby said, turning her attention back to Rachel. She stayed hovered over her so the girl could still see her.

"How long have I been asleep? What day is it?"

"It's a little after three in the morning on Saturday," Shelby answered. "The accident happened Friday afternoon when we were driving home from school."

The door opened then and a young female doctor came into the room. Shelby never let go of Rachel's hand as she stood up straight to greet the woman who was turning on another light in the room. Both Shelby and Rachel blinked at the new brightness.

"Hello, Rachel. I'm Dr. Guthrie," she said. "I'm glad to see you're awake."

"Hi," Rachel said.

"I'm just going to talk to you for a minute, ok?" Rachel nodded.

Dr. Guthrie put her hand on Rachel's right one and asked her to move the fingers. She then took the girl's left from Shelby and asked Rachel to squeeze it as hard as she could. The doctor shined her pen light in Rachel's eyes and seemed satisfied with the results she found.

Shelby kept a close eye on all of this while simultaneously pulling out her phone and sending a one work text to Hiram. "Awake."

Dr. Guthrie stood back and looked at Shelby and smiled. "Everything looks good. She's responding just as she should, if not better."

Shelby breathed a sigh of relief as she took back over holding Rachel's hand. She placed a gentle hand on Rachel's head and leaned down and kissed Rachel's bruised cheek. The girl held even tighter to her hand.

The door opened and Hiram and Leroy burst back in and smiled at their daughter who did her best to smile back.

"We stepped out for twenty minutes and that's when you decide to wake up," Leroy joked. They had gone to get some coffee for themselves and Shelby and were on their way back to the room when they received the text.

"Welcome back, sweetheart," Hiram said.

"Hi, Dad. Hi, Daddy."

The men stood on Rachel's right side and looked to the doctor to hear what else she had to say.

"How are you feeling right now?" Dr. Guthrie asked of her young patient.

"It hurts," Rachel said.

"I know," the doctor said. "I'm afraid you can't escape all of the pain. But is there anywhere that hurts more than others?"

"My head," Rachel told her. "And my stomach."

"She was asking if she could have a drink," Shelby said.

"I don't see why not. But I'd like to look at her abdomen first to make sure it's not anything more than the normal bruising we expect," Dr. Guthrie said.

Rachel nodded and the doctor moved the pillow that was helping to support the broken arm and then moved the blankets. Shelby and Leroy helped Dr. Guthrie move Rachel's gown up so that her legs and abdomen were now revealed. She had on a pair of loose fitting shorts the hospital put on her after the surgery to help keep any wires and tubes needed in place. The parents got their first look at Rachel's bruised and battered little body. Her legs were as scraped up as her arm because of the skirt she'd been wearing. There was a pronounced bruise that showed where the seatbelt had cut across her body as it held her in place. Her stomach sported patches of deep purple that were wrapping around to her back. Shelby's eyes immediately started to well with tears as Rachel winced and then cried out as the doctor felt the bruises to make sure nothing had changed.

"It's just a lot of bruising," Dr. Guthrie told Rachel and her parents. "Just as we expected. You'll definitely be sore for a little while, but it'll start to clear up in a few days to a week." She returned Rachel's gown so that it covered her abdomen and went to her knees and then pulled the blanket back up.

"When can I go home?" Rachel asked.

"Not until Sunday or maybe Monday," the doctor answered. "You get to lie around in the hospital for a couple of days doing nothing."

"I'd rather go home," Rachel said.

"Everyone would," Dr. Guthrie sympathized. "But you're just going to have to wait. You need to rest."

"She'll get plenty of rest," Hiram assured the young doctor.

"I know she will. As for right now, I'm going to have a nurse bring you some more pain medication in a few minutes," Dr. Guthrie said. "She'll go back to sleep after that. But you can sit up and have some water until then if you want."

"Ok," Rachel said.

"Thank you," Leroy said and then Dr. Guthrie left them alone.

"Do you want to sit up?" Hiram asked and Rachel nodded.

Hiram found the switch on the bed and pressed the button and it slowly started to raise the front to help Rachel sit up. She winced and shifted as she tested out her sore limbs and back. She was still groggy and the pain and stiffness were really settling in. Leroy moved the pillow with her to keep her arm supported while Shelby poured a cup of water from the pitcher and put a straw in it for Rachel. The girl took a long sip and started to cough and then immediately started to grimace.

"Ow," Rachel muttered as she struggled with whether to cover her mouth or hold her stomach.

"Whoa, take it easy," Shelby said and she pulled the cup away from her and set it back on the tray. "You're going to have to take it slow for a little while."

"Rachel started to shift her position again and moved her legs so she could stretch them out. She looked forlornly down at the pink cast on her arm and then sent a pathetic pout in her fathers' direction.

"How long do I have to wear this?"

"Six to eight weeks," Hiram answered.

"Why?" the girl whined.

"So that your arm heals properly, sweetheart," Leroy said.

"But it's uncomfortable," Rachel said.

"I'm sorry, Peanut," Hiram told her.

"Rach, don't worry about that stuff right now, ok?" Leroy said.

"But what about in school?"

"Honey," Shelby cut it. "Just relax." Rachel turned to look at her and Shelby leaned down and kissed her head once more. "You've been through a lot and you've only just woken up and there's no need for you to work yourself up over any of this right now. Don't worry about school or anything else right now."

"But I don't feel good," Rachel whined as if that were an argument for the point she was trying to make.

"We know you don't," Hiram said. "That's why we want you to relax and get some rest."

"Can I get up?" Rachel asked and all three parents shared a look and sighed. The girl looked like she was half asleep and was clearly in a lot of pain and yet she wanted to get up. Then again, relaxing and resting had never really been Rachel's forte.

"I don't think that's a good idea," a nurse said as she stepped into the room carrying a syringe and another IV bag to replace the almost empty one that was hanging on the rack. "I'm Susan," she introduced herself to Rachel. She'd met the parents before because she'd been Rachel's nurse all night.

She replaced the bag and then looked at Rachel and said, "I'm going to give you some pain medication and you'll go back to sleep in no time. You'll be asleep for a few more hours and then when you wake up you can get up and move around. Sound good?"

Rachel pouted but nodded her head. Susan gave her the medicine through her IV and then made her way out of the room. The girl adjusted in the bed once more as she tried to find a comfortable position and tears formed in her eyes.

"I'm not tired," Rachel whined and then started to cry in earnest. "I don't want to go back to sleep. I want to go home."

"Shh, I know," Leroy cooed. "Don't cry, honey. Just close your eyes."

"It took close to ten minutes of all of them talk to her before the medicine took over and Rachel had fallen back asleep. She held on tightly to the stuffed bunny and Shelby tucked the blankets around her.

"She's still fighting going to sleep," Hiram said. "Some things never change."

Rachel slept on and off for the next six hours. That time allowed for Shelby and the Berrys to actually eat a meal now that they'd seen their baby awake. Shelby spent a good amount of time on the phone with the insurance company to get the ball rolling on everything that needed to happen there. They were already working on getting the totaled car paid off and she knew she'd have to go car shopping within the next few days. She was also going to have to go to the place where her old one was towed so she could retrieve all of her personal items from it, including Rachel's school bag, she realized. But she could worry about all of that after this weekend.

It was a little before nine when Rachel started to stir again and Shelby sat up stiffly in her chair and closed her eyes to the pain.

"Are you ok?" Leroy asked.

"Yeah," Shelby answered. "They said I would be really sore the next day and they were right."

"Why don't you take some of the medicine they gave you?"

"Because it makes me drowsy," Shelby answered.

"At least get some Tylenol or something," Hiram said.

"No, I'll be fine," Shelby told them.

"You are stubborn," Leroy said.

"No I'm not," Shelby defended herself.

"Yes you are," Rachel added from the bed. Shelby rolled her eyes while Hiram and Leroy smirked.

"Good morning, sweetie," Shelby said. "How are you feeling?"

"It still hurts. But I think I'm feeling a little better," Rachel said. "I'm even feeling a little hungry. And I'm thirsty. And I want to get up." She started to sit up and all three parents jumped to their feet.

"Hang on, Peanut," Hiram said. "Let me help you."

"I can do it," Rachel insisted even as she grimaced in pain much like Shelby had a couple of minutes ago.

Hiram helped her anyway while Leroy adjusted the bed and Shelby moved the blankets with her.

"Good morning," Dr. Reynolds said as he stepped into the room after knocking lightly on the door. "It's nice to see you awake this time, young lady," he said to Rachel.

"Thank you," she replied politely.

"You certainly look like you're feeling better."

"I am," she readily agreed. "I'd like to go home now."

"Well we're just going to have to wait on that," Dr. Reynolds said. "We can talk about that later.

Rachel tried to pout but a yawn interrupted it and she brought her hand up to cover her mouth. "Can I at least get up?"

Yes you can, but with help at first," Dr. Reynolds answered. "It'll do you some good to get up and walk around and take a shower."

"A shower would be great," Rachel said.

"But again, with help," he emphasized. "And I should say that it'll have to be more like a sponge bath at this point so we can protect the cast and stitches and you can't get the IV wet. But you can wash your hair and get cleaned up. I will send in a nurse to show you all how to wrap the cast for the future since you're going to be with it for a while. We'll be able to take the stitches out in a few days."

"But I don't really need any help," Rachel said.

All three parents opened their mouths to say something to their daughter, but Dr. Reynolds beat them to it.

"Rachel, I know you feel better lying there in bed, but you've been through a lot and you're body is working to heal itself. Plus there is still a good amount of medication in your system and that dulls your senses somewhat. You have a concussion and one good arm and you will not be doing anyone any favors if you fall in the shower or bathroom. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," Rachel answered, feeling chastised.

"Good." He turned back to Shelby, Hiram, and Leroy and found that they were all giving him apologetic looks. "Like I said yesterday; willful."

"And stubborn," Hiram added.

"Like her mother," Leroy finished.

Shelby and Rachel wore matching looks of half shock, half indignation and the men started to laugh.

Breakfast arrived for Rachel a little while later and her fathers attentively sat by her side and helped her eat most of it. Shelby stepped out of the room for a while and went to grab some coffee. Meals were something her dads could do for her and she left them to it because they knew that it would be Shelby who would help her through the bathing process. Plus it felt great to get up and walk around. Her body felt stiff and achy, but she still didn't take anything. She stretched as best she could and felt better the more she walked. She could understand why Rachel wanted to badly to get up from the bed.

Shelby got the largest cup of coffee she could find and added some sugar and milk to it and took a sip while she arranged the cups for Hiram and Leroy in a carrier. The hot coffee wasn't the best she'd ever had, but it wasn't the worst either and she desperately needed another dose of caffeine. She was exhausted both mentally and physically and the coffee would provide a good pick-me-up for a few more hours. It would have to do until she was able to go home because as long as Rachel was here she wasn't leaving.

After breakfast a nurse came in with some supplies and showed them all how to protect the cast and the stitches from the water. When everything was ready, Rachel was happy to finally throw the blankets back and climb out of bed. Her legs were shaky in a way Rachel didn't expect and she had to grab onto Leroy's arm to steady herself. Hiram and Shelby quickly stepped closer and Rachel soon found herself being held up by six extra hands.

"Maybe you should wait a few more hours," Hiram suggested.

"No, I'm fine," Rachel said. "I just need to walk a little bit."

Leroy steadied her as they walked around the room a few times and her strength started to return. Rachel was beaming with smug adolescence when they stopped.

"Ok, ok," Shelby said. "Let's get you cleaned up and into some of your own pajamas." Rachel nodded her agreement.

Hiram and Leroy kissed her on the head and promised to return in a couple hours. Shelby gathered up Rachel's clean clothes and put them in the bathroom before helping her daughter inside. Shelby ran some warm water and then helped Rachel undress and sit in the safety chair in the shower. The water wasn't on hard enough to reach the girl completely and Shelby pulled out some wash cloths and Rachel's toiletries that Hiram had brought and set them on the floor next to Rachel. Rachel's embarrassment was at a minimum because Shelby had seen her naked before. Rachel would still change clothes in front of her mother and she hadn't quite grown out of her youthful lack of inhibitions yet. But still, this was awkward.

Shelby let Rachel wash herself as best she could and only helped when needed. She was as gentle as possible as she washed the girls hair and rinsed it off.

"Is that blood?" Rachel asked when she noticed the red mixed with the water as it washed down the drain.

"Mm-hmm," Shelby answered and her chin trembled at the memory of Rachel unconscious and covered in blood.

"Gross," Rachel said in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Shelby gave her a half-hearted smile but then went back to the task at hand. Rachel closed her eyes and let her mother was her face. She wanted to say that she could do it herself, but something stopped her. She could tell that her mother needed this; needed to be in control right now, and so she sat back and let Shelby gently wipe the cloth over her face.

Shelby took her time and was extremely careful with Rachel's bruised face. She spent some time cleaning around each ear to get the remaining blood that had dried there and then washed as close as she could to the stitches on the girl's forehead. Shelby started to sing softly as she worked.

Rachel used the time to think back on what had happened. Try as she might, she couldn't remember the accident happening. Why had her mom picked her up from school; she normally just rode the bus. She knew Shelby got off later than she did. She travelled back to the beginning of her day and concentrated on what she had been doing. She remembered school and lunch time. She went to history class and found out she had a paper due in a couple of weeks. Then she went to science and then to math… No, she hadn't gone to math. It all started to come flooding back to her. She remembered skipping and Mr. Hunt and the principal and Shelby's angry expression and her taking the iPod and the drive and-

Rachel opened her eyes and met her mother's and listened to the soft singing. She smiled at her before turning to grab a towel and stopping the song only long enough to instruct Rachel to stand up. She wrapped the towel around the girl and helped her step out onto the mat. She sang the entire time she was drying Rachel off and brushing her hair out. She continued as she helped Rachel get dressed in comfortable pajama bottoms and a large t-shirt. Rachel's face crumpled when Shelby slid the shirt over her head and gently worked her broken arm through the hole. Shelby stopped singing as soon as she saw that Rachel was crying.

"Honey? Are you ok? Did I hurt you?"

"I'm sorry," Rachel said.

"What?"

"I'm sorry I disappointed you."

Shelby's eyes widened with the realization that Rachel remembered and she shrunk herself down to look the girl in her eyes.

"Oh Rach, don't cry," Shelby said. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, Rachel said. "I remember wanting to tell you I was sorry in the car, but I just couldn't. I don't know why."

"It doesn't matter right now," Shelby said. "All that matters right now is you getting better. We can talk about it later."

"I shouldn't have skipped," Rachel continued anyway. "If you didn't have to come and get me you never would have been in the accident. I'm sorry, Mom," Rachel cried.

"Hey, no," Shelby tried to soothe. "This was not your fault. Some guy ran a red light and hit us. It's his fault."

Rachel wiped at her eyes, "but-"

"No," Shelby said sternly as she stood back up to her full height. "I better not hear one more word of blame come out of your mouth. We were in the car together like we always are and a man ran a red light. The end. You had nothing to do with it."

"I shouldn't have skipped," Rachel said.

"Come with me."

Shelby led her out of the bathroom and sat down in one of the chairs near the bed. She had Rachel sit on her lap and leaned the girl into her, but she couldn't stop the wince at having the extra weight on her sore body.

"I'm hurting you," Rachel said and tried to get up.

"No, you're not," Shelby told her and she settled Rachel's head against her shoulder. "And you're right, you should not have skipped. And I was angry and disappointed and I was going to punish you when we got home, but none of that matters right now. I don't want you to be upset about it."

"Are you still mad?"

"No," Shelby said. "You're all that matters to me. Your health and safety are more important that what was going on at school. Once your home and better we can sit down and talk about your behavior."

"Ok," Rachel agreed. "I just don't like it when you're made at me."

"Oh really? I never would have guessed that from the way you've been acting recently," Shelby teased.

"I love you, Mommy," Rachel said. She lifted her head up and placed a kiss on Shelby's cheek and then settled back against her shoulder and closed her eyes as Shelby started to softly sing again.

Rachel was asleep in Shelby's lap when Leroy and Hiram came back into the room twenty minutes later. Leroy picked the girl up and returned her to the bed and Shelby stood and stretched.

"I didn't want to wake her," she said.

"You need some rest of your own," Hiram said.

"I'm fine," Shelby told them as they all took up vigil at Rachel's bedside once more.

They received some good news early that evening when Dr. Reynolds returned and told them that he was releasing Rachel that night instead of the next morning.

"She's improving so much quicker than we anticipated," he said. "I can't see any reason to keep her here another night. Just make sure she's still getting plenty of rest and taking it easy for a few days and she'll be fine. She could even go back to school by the end of the week.

Rachel was excited and there was a round of thank yous and goodbyes and then Shelby started to pack everything that had been brought from home. Hiram went to sign the paperwork to release Rachel and Leroy went to the pharmacy to get her prescription filled. When he got back to the room he found Rachel on the losing end of an argument about whether or not she had to sit in the wheelchair for them to take her to the car.

"But I can walk," the girl whined.

"Rachel," Hiram said in an exasperated tone.

"Just sit down, honey," Shelby said.

"Yeah, Rach, it's hospital policy," Leroy added. "The quicker you sit down, the quicker we can get out of here."

"Fine," Rachel huffed. She wanted to cross her arms, but it wouldn't be nearly as effective with the sling that was in place.

Leroy pulled the car up to the doors and Shelby got in the back with Rachel. She couldn't stop herself from reaching over and making sure Rachel's seatbelt was securely fastened. Shelby found herself involuntarily flinching or reacting to everything on the road. Rachel noticed and reached over and held her mother's hand and Shelby looked over at her with watery eyes. She could have lost everything yesterday and the gratitude she felt at having her little girl with her and holding her hand in this moment was overwhelming. They held hands for the rest of the ride home.

After they ate a quick dinner, Rachel settled on the couch to watch a movie and spent half an hour fighting a headache and the soreness she was feeling before finally being called on it. They had watching her trying to get comfortable and shake off her drooping eyes every time she was close to closing them and going to sleep. Hiram stepped out of the room and came back a minute later with a glass of water and two of Rachel's pills.

"Here honey, take these while you watch."

"Will they make me tired?" Rachel asked. "I don't want to sleep; I've been in bed all day."

"They'll make you feel better," Hiram said.

"It does hurt right now," Rachel conceded. "I wish it would stop hurting."

"The medicine will help with that," Leroy said. "All you've got to two for the next few days is lie around and watch your movies and take your medicine."

"Ok," Rachel nodded and she took the pills and water and set the glass on a table after a couple of sips.

She was asleep within ten minutes but Leroy waited thirty before picking her up and cradling her against his chest as he carried her up the stairs to her room. Shelby removed the sling from around her arm and back. Hiram pulled back the blankets so Leroy could lay her down and they tucked her in.

Shelby gave her one last look and then shut the door behind them and turned to find Hiram and Leroy standing behind her in the hallway. Hiram had the same glass of water he'd given Rachel and Shelby looked at them suspiciously.

"Do you think one of you could drive me home?" she asked.

"No," Hiram said. "You're staying here tonight."

"Guys, I'm fine," Shelby said and she tried to step past them but they moved to block her.

"I don't think so," Leroy said in much the same tone he would use on Rachel. "You are in pain and exhausted but if you're alone you'll sit up all night worrying."

"But," Shelby tried to come up with an argument, "I don't have anything here."

"We went by your house this afternoon when you were helping Rachel with the shower and picked up everything you'll need. It's all in the guest room and bathroom already," Hiram said. "So you're going to take this medicine and then take a quick shower and then go to bed."

"You can't make-"

She stopped when she swathe way they were both staring her down and silently chastising her.

"Yes, sir," she amended and reached out and took the water and pills from Hiram and downed them.

They each gave her a kiss on the cheek before she went into the bathroom to prepare what would turn out to be a short, but welcome hot shower. Shelby succumbed to the pain medication and her own exhaustion not that long after her hallway admonishment and slept deeply all night. She wouldn't discover until morning that she had shared the bed part of the night with her daughter

Rachel woke up just before two in the morning to use the restroom and saw that the guest room door was closed which only happened if someone was staying over. She opened the door to look in and saw her mother sleeping and quietly crept into the room and got in the bed with her. Rachel gave Shelby a gentle kiss on her forehead and then settled down next to her and held her hand.

That was how Leroy discovered them that morning when he'd gone to check on Rachel and found that she was not in her bed. He left them alone and shut the door and was grateful that they had the chance to share in each other's recovery and that Rachel would be the first thing Shelby saw when she woke up that morning.

**A/N – That's the end for this one. I hope you all liked it. Please leave me a review and let me know. **

**And here's the answer to the question I asked at the beginning. "I'll see her when I wake" is the last thing Fantine says to Jean Valjean before she dies. She's singing about her daughter Cosette and asking him to take and raise her. I just like it and thought it worked pretty well for this. Remember, be honest about your points. :) **

**And there's more Changed for the Better soon. I promise!**

**Thanks for reading!**


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